Tell Me: The Story of How Penny Got Sheldon to Say It First
by minafinnes
Summary: As she stands there, she says, "Tell Me." Penny's life has changed and so have her feelings for Sheldon. She does not want to be the first to admit her feelings. She knows that the only way to win his heart is for him to be the first.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Oh God. How did I get to this place? Penny had been repeating this to herself for the last few hours. This is not going to end well. I should have known better. Penny was sitting on her couch nursing a mug of peppermint tea. Penny let out a long sigh as she placed the pink mug on her coffee table. She leaned her blonde head against her couch and closed her eyes. Penny's mind began to ponder the past fifteen months of her life in a list:

She and Leonard called it quits shortly after Howard's trip into space. It just was not working and for once it was easy to just be friends because it was amicable. She immediately felt relief. Leonard would never admit it but he did too. It was written all over his face.

About a month later, Amy showed up to Sheldon's office and simply said that she wanted to terminate the "romantic" part of their relationship. Sheldon simply walked over to his computer printed out the necessary forms, both parties signed, and that was it. No tears, no muss, no fuss. The friendship between those two was still strong and just plain weird. They still filmed their "Fun with Flags" segments. Penny had yet to make through an episode sober. Everything was pretty much the same except Amy no longer pined for Sheldon. Amy's focus became her work because of some huge grant thingy and that required a lot time at work. Penny suspected that any day now, her "bestie" was going to text her that the new colleague, Dr. David had finally made the move. Penny knew it would happen because it was more than obvious. Geez, these science types, sure do take things slow.

Howard and Bernadette still lived with his mother but they were "making it work." The newlyweds are currently in "negotiation" on the subject of children.

Leonard began dating Dr. Stephanie again.

Raj was still alone but he had been on a few dates. He was going to therapy trying to work on his issues. Progress was slow and steady.

Those months encompassed vast amounts of change not only in her life but in the lives of those she loved most. It was those life changes that set in motion some of the most tumultuous days of Penny's young life. It was a life that included a tall, lanky blue eyed physicist…

Until next time…

Author's Note: This has been hounding me for over a year and I have finally decided to bring it out of the closet. I'm nervous. Please review and be kind. I already have a few chapters so we will see where it goes from here. This is a Shenny story. However, I will be kind to the other characters.


	2. Chapter 2

Tell Me

Chapter 1: Changes

The end of summer was approaching. Penny had made some big changes to her life. It was a struggle but it was for the better. Surprisingly, Sheldon was her biggest supporter. Penny left her dream of acting in the past. It was not happening and if she were honest, it was not what she really wanted to do. She had just wanted out of Nebraska. She was trying to figure out her place in this crazy world. She had finished a year of college and that coupled with her previous grades, she was one semester short of getting her associates degree in something or another. She felt that she was moving towards something and that was enough, for now.

The biggest change to her life was her job. After she made the decision to go back to school, it just seemed the right thing to do by finally saying good riddance to the Cheesecake Factory. Penny spent hours and hours looking for a new job. Then one day last winter, the boys came home with the news that their boss needed a new assistant. With their encouragement and glowing references, she now was the executive assistant to Gablehauser. Dr. Gablehauser had hired her within 10 minutes of meeting her. She quit her job at the restaurant that afternoon and never looked back. Of course, Sheldon went bat crap crazy because he was concerned about who would serve him his stupid burger. Geez. She actually had benefits and during the summer only worked 3 ½ days and it was awesome. She loved it. It was nice to be home by 5:30 every day and the cool thing was she did not have to be there until 9:00 am. If there were no meetings or nothing scheduled she and Dr. G (as she called him) would leave early on Fridays. It was nice. It left plenty of time for her to study, go to school, workout, and spend time with all her friends.

The biggest paradigm shift in her life is that Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper had become her best friend. It just slowly happened over time. He helped her study and in turn she would drive him places. He even kept his trap shut because she finally was able to afford another car. Her parents chipped in so she was able to pay cash for a Pearl White 2006 P T Cruiser convertible. It was so cute. It would not win races but it was the nicest car she had ever owned. Sheldon found it on Craigslist and he had a mechanic come along with them. It was the best $100 she ever spent because the car had low mileage and was safe. They spent almost all their free time together except for when they were sleeping.

The hardest part of her new life is taking money from her parents but they were adamant about helping her out. Actually, they had money set aside for her education. It was not a lot but it was enough to help get her started. Because of the economy and the state of affairs with farmers, Penny's father went back to his old job as a welder.

Her money situation had improved with Sheldon's guidance. She never realized he could be such a fuss budget. No wonder he could afford all those toys and comic books. She did find a way to afford her addiction for shoes. It was called eBay.

Sheldon infused almost every aspect of her life and vice versa. They traveled together to visit their respective families during the holidays, they did their laundry together, they ate together, they washed her car together, they studied together, they fought together, they played "Age of Conan" together, they cleaned her apartment together….they were always together. It was all this togetherness that made Penny realize that Sheldon was no longer just her best friend. Sheldon had become the most important thing in her life. Penny had embraced it and she hoped Sheldon just never realized it…

Author's Note: The story will pick up in the next few chapters. Just building some background of my story.


End file.
